The Sweetest Valentine
by Kristen3
Summary: Niles' attempt to cheer Daphne up on Valentine's Day goes much better than he expected. One-shot.


Daphne was fed up. The two Crane men were driving her crazy. Mr. Crane was even more reluctant to do his exercises than usual. When she'd insisted, Martin responded by sulking, to the point that Daphne gave up and let him go to his room. If he wanted to act like a child, fine. He could be treated like one. Meanwhile, Dr. Crane was also getting on her nerves. He had started to criticize even the tiniest imperfections in the way she dusted his knickknacks, or the way she folded laundry, or a dozen other things. And to top it all off, today was February 14, Valentine's Day. As usual, Daphne was alone.

When there was a knock at the door, the last thing Daphne wanted to do was answer it. She was in no mood to talk to anyone right now. But since Mr. Crane was in his room, and Dr. Crane was at work, she had no choice. She heaved a sigh as she opened the door.

Niles was a bit taken aback by the look on Daphne's face. "Um, should I come back later?" He had thought he might brighten her day, knowing how stressed and lonely she had been feeling lately. Daphne's happiness mattered a great deal to him, and this being a day to celebrate love, he knew he had to buy her something.

Daphne smiled as soon as she realized who was at the door. "No. I'm sorry. It's just that your father and brother are driving me bloody out of me mind. But I shouldn't be taking that out on you."

Niles smiled nervously. Suddenly, he began to wonder if he'd done the right thing in coming here. But it was too late now. "I know how hard you work, and well...I just thought maybe you'd like these." He held out the bag he'd bought. His heart pounded as he waited for her reaction.

Daphne took the bag from him, gasping as she looked inside. It was full of candy. Chocolate, to be more specific. But it wasn't just ordinary candy bought from a corner drugstore. No, this was candy Daphne hadn't seen since she'd left England. How had he known how badly she missed certain things from back home? "Oh, Dr. Crane, I don't know what to say!" For a moment, she just looked at him, unable to stop smiling. She put the bag down on the small table that stood just inside the door. "Come here." She pulled him into a tight hug.

Niles could hardly breathe. Before he could even begin to react, he was swept into Daphne's arms. He could only sigh and inhale the blissful scent of her perfume. He wished he could save this moment. Just when he thought it couldn't get better, Daphne placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you," she said, at least releasing him. "All day long, I've been thinking how I'm all alone, and of course your father and brother weren't exactly helping matters. And now you come along and give me this wonderful chocolate. How did you even know about them? You can't buy them here."

Niles blushed. "Well, I remembered you mentioning them a few months ago. And when I saw how Dad and Frasier have been treating you, I wanted to do something to make you happy."

"That's so sweet of you. Would you like to try some?" She picked the bag back up and held it out for him.

"Well, if you're sure you don't mind sharing," Niles said.

Daphne scoffed. "If I ate all of this, I'd be as big as a house. Then nobody would want to be seen with me!"

"That's not true." Niles said the words before he could think about what he was saying.

"What?"

"I would want to be with you no matter what size you were."

"Dr. Crane, what are you saying?" Daphne wasn't quite sure if she was understanding him correctly. Because if she was... The very thought was absurd.

"I would buy you all the chocolate in the world if you wanted. And even if it caused your appearance to change, it wouldn't matter, because you'd still be the same person on the inside."

Suddenly, Daphne began to feel lightheaded. Dr. Crane had always been very sweet to her, but this was a level of kindness she'd never seen. It didn't seem to make sense. "Do you...love me?"

"Yes," Niles said, without the slightest hesitation. "I do love you. I know this may not have been the best way to show it. I hope I haven't made you uncomfortable. I just thought that I could make you happy. That's really all I've wanted to do from the beginning."

Daphne smiled. Her frustrations from earlier seemed like a distant memory. "You have." The love she'd always felt for him began to change. She noticed the way his blue eyes seemed to shine. It was something she'd never seen before. She leaned forward, intending to hug him once again. But suddenly, her heart took over. She kissed him. It wasn't a long, passionate kiss, but it was enough. "Niles, would you like to share these chocolates? We could watch a movie. I mean, if you want to."

"I would love to."

Daphne smiled and took his hand, leading him over to the sofa. They sat, and Daphne placed the bag of candy between them. As she took a piece out of the bag and ate it, she felt a warmth in her heart. She smiled, realizing it had less to do with what she was eating than the man sitting beside her. In his eyes, she saw kind of sweetness that could never be equaled by even the finest chocolate.

**The End**


End file.
